How will International Community respond?
"A critical question looming large in Tamil Peoples' mind is
how the International Community is going to express its
reaction to the Government of Sri Lanka on the slaying of
the senior Tamil democratic leader, Mr. Joseph
Pararajasingham," Jaffna daily Uthayan said in its editorial
Monday. The paper described the slaying of Joseph
Pararajasigham as an attempt to "throttle the voice of Tamil
Nationalism."

Maire Leadbeater, Indonesia
Human Rights Committee, New Zealand, 27 December 2005 -
"The Indonesia Human Rights Committee has been deeply
shocked to learn of the execution of Mr Joseph
Pararajasingham, Member of Parliament for Batticaloa in Sri
Lanka. He was shot in cold blood while he was worshipping at
a Catholic Church on Christmas Eve and while Government
security officers were present. This death has caused great
anger and despair in the Tamil community both locally and
internationally."

Tamil
Canadian Writers Association condemns Killing of
Mamanithar Joseph Pararajasingham, 25 December 2005
"..We condemn the brutal murder of Mamanithar Joseph
Pararajasingham, TNA Member of Parliament on December 25, in
the most cowardly fashion. He was gunned down by Thamil para-military
hirelings and Military Intelligence inside St. Mary’s
Church, Batticaloa during mid-night mass conducted by the
Bishop of Batticaloa-Trincomalee. The church is situated
right inside the well-fortified HSZ and the government
should accept blame squarely for this dastardly killing...

To add insult to injury the Defence Ministry
is indulging in fanciful imagination and puerile fabrication
by blaming the LTTE for the killing of Mamanithar Joseph
Pararajasingham. If the Defence Ministry thinks that by this
Goebellsian propaganda they can pull the wool over the eyes
of the international community, it will be sadly mistaken.
We refuse to believe the international community is
dim-witted and gullible to swallow such propaganda..."
more

Rev Fr M X Karunaratnam Chairperson NESOHR
(North East Secretariat On Human Rights) "In his parliamentarian life, Mr Pararajasingam, documented human
rights violations in eastern Sri Lanka during the 1990's and brought
it to the attention of the international community. He persistently
challenged the Sri Lankan government on its human rights record. The
Sri Lankan parliament records, the "Hansard", will contain ample
evidence of his brave challenges to the Sri Lankan state on
its human rights record...."

Joseph Pararajasingham, Member of Parliament
& Leader of the TULF Parliamentary Group - written appeal to
the United States, August 1997
"...As an elected representative, I am physically present in
my constituency for more than eight months a year.
Therefore, I am well informed about human rights violations
in my district. It is my desire to outline briefly the
unprecedented level of human rights violations that have
taken place in my district, committed by the Sri Lankan
security forces, the Muslim Homeguards (an armed group
established by the Government to safeguard the Muslim
villages) and a few Tamil militant groups, armed and
financed by the Sri Lankan security forces. These include
mass scale massacres of innocent civilians, rape, torture,
detention, disappearances while in the custody of security
forces, shelling and bombing of civilian Tamil areas and
denial of food and medicines to tens of thousands of
displaced Tamils in "uncleared" areas..."

One Hundred Tamils
of the 20th Century

Maamanithar Joseph Pararajasingham26 November 1934 - 25 December 2005

'...States that want to oppress a people do so by
breaking their political will to resist injustice. To do this,
oppressing states kill a society's intellectuals and journalists who speak for the rights of
their people. They want the Tamils to be intellectually
rudderless. It is easier to enslave a people who have lost their
ability to understand the nature of their oppression...'
Dharmeratnam Sivaram (who was himself shot dead
on 28 April 2005) speaking at Memorial Meeting for Slain Batticaloa
Journalist, Aiyathurai Nadesan on 7 August 2004

Joseph
Pararajasingham, a Tamil nationalist and Batticaloa
district Member of Parliament (MP) of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA)
and a committed political activist in the struggle for Tamil Eelam, was shot
dead at St. Mary's cathedral church in Batticaloa, Tamil Eelam
while attending Christmas prayers early morning at 1.20 a.m Sunday
25 December 2005. Mr Pararajasingham arrived at the Church at 10.30
p.m where the services led by Batticaloa Bishop Kingley Swampillai
started at 11.30 p.m. The co-cathedral is located in the heart of
Batticaloa town on Central Road.

Fellow Batticaloa District Tamil
National Alliance (TNA) Member of Parliament Mr. S. Jeyananthamoorthy said

"The slaying of the senior and experienced politician from Batticaloa,
Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, while at prayer inside the church on the holy
day of Christmas, was a barbaric act affecting the collective Tamil
psyche.Targetting key Tamil political actors is a strategy adopted by the
Sri Lankan state to weaken Tamil struggle. This strategy will fail and in
its wake likely bring an unprecedented catastrophe to Sri Lanka"

Joseph Pararajasingham was born on 26 November 1934 and started his career as
a draftsperson at the Batticaloa secretariat. He started public service as a
part-time journalist at the Tamil daily "Thinapathi," where he wrote stories
under the name Sugunam Joseph. He entered Sri Lanka Parliament in 1990. He was
re-elected in 1994 with the highest number of preferential votes ever received
by a Tamil candidate in the NorthEast. He was again elected on the final count
of preferential votes in the October 2000 elections. He again became an MP under
the national list in 2002.

During the late 90's he followed up with the Sri Lanka armed forces cases of
detention, disappearances, torture, rape and killing of Tamil civilians. He was
an Executive Member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the SAARC
Parliamentary Association.

Speaking at a school function on 26 September 1992
(reported in the Virakesari of 1 October 1992) he declared -

“The lines of a
song in today’s ceremony touched my heart. The lines refer to the Tamil flag
which fluttered on the Himalayas. Although this may be a thing of the past,
history can be re-established. Today this country is at war because the youth of
this area were denied opportunities in education and culture…Our youth have not
only done well in education but have shown that they have the self respect to
achieve their aims through armed struggle. If nothing is done towards finding a
settlement to the crisis in the north-east, the history related in the lines of
that song will be reasserted.” (quoted by
Dharmeratnam Sivaram in On Tamil Militarism - The legend of Cheran Senguttuvan)

The Tamil Nation has lost today a noble man who sacrificed personal ambitions
and set a goal working resolutely for the welfare of his people. Silenced today
is a voice that relentlessly resonated the freedom of the Tamil homeland and its
people. A great man had fallen victim to the enemy's cowardly act of cruelty. It
is a great tragedy in the history of the Tamil Eelam freedom struggle.

Mr.Joseph Pararajasingham is a person blessed with rare and incredible
qualities. Melodious interaction, simple manners and magnanimity in approach are
the hallmarks of his personality. Steadfast and honest, he is an excellent
political leader. The Tamil people affectionately hailed him as a formidable
fighter for human rights. His extra-ordinary attachment to the Tamil cause
gravitated all towards him. The demise of Mr.Joseph Pararajasingham is an
irreparable loss to the Tamil Nation.

It was never to his liking to live under Sinhala Budhdhist majoritarian
oppression. He totally detested the disintegration of the collective Tamil
Nation under this oppression and subjugation. Setting as his noble goal absolute
freedom from this oppressive state, he worked for the independence, dignity and
peaceful life of the Tamil people. Motivated by this noble goal, he steadfastly
supported the Tamil National freedom struggle. Respecting and accepting
wholeheartedly the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and their goal, he
contributed immensely to the liberation struggle of the Tamil people. Complex
situations, threats and dangers did not deter him from courageously extending
his helping hands to Tamil Nationalism and the Tamil Eelam liberation struggle
in many ways.

As a Member of Parliament representing the people of Batticaloa and a founder
member of the NorthEast Secretariat on Human Rights, he worked relentlessly in
pursuit of the rights of the people of Tamil Eelam. Presenting the truth and
reasonableness of the Tamil Eelam liberation struggle to the world, was a
mission he undertook with passion. The yeoman services he rendered are
praiseworthy and of historical significance.

Respecting Mr.Joseph Pararajasingham's patriotism and love of freedom and to
honour his contribution to the freedom struggle, I confer on him with pride the
highest National Award of "Great Man". Death never destroys noble men who lived
to uphold truthful goals. Mr.Joseph Pararajasingham will live forever in the
psyche of the Tamil Nation as an epoch making leader.

Mr Joseph Pararajasingam, our valued member, was shot dead on the
Christmas Eve of 2005. He was murdered for the sole reason that he
highlighted the human rights situation of the Tamil people.

He was shot inside the Cathedral in Batticaloa town that was crowded
with people attending the Christmas mass presided by Bishop of
Batticaloa, Kingley Swampillai. Mr Pararajasingam's wife, Mrs P
Sugunam, who was beside him, was critically wounded when she tried to
protect him from the bullets.

Mr Joseph Pararajasingam is the second valued NESOHR member shot dead
within the span of one year. The loss to NESOHR is truly shattering.
NESOHR member for Amparai, Mr A ChadraNehru was shot dead in February
this year.

In his parliamentarian life, Mr Pararajasingam, documented human
rights violations in eastern Sri Lanka during the 1990's and brought
it to the attention of the international community. He persistently
challenged the Sri Lankan government on its human rights record. The
Sri Lankan parliament records, the "Hansard", will contain ample
evidence of his brave challenges to the Sri Lankan state on its human
rights record. He travel;ed the world as a member of parliament,
representing the Tamils, to meet foreign ministers and foreign affairs
officials and brought the human rights situation in Northeast to their
attention.

In his last visit to NESOHR in Kilinochchi to mark the International
Human Rights day on December 10th 2005, he told us that he has decided
to station himself in Batticaloa from now on and take up the human
rights issues in his district. He told us that he was ready to take
any risks that this would entail.

NESOHR in its one and a half years of operations has served the people
of Northeast by addressing their human rights violations and also by
bringing human rights violations to the attention of the international
community. We have received encouraging support from the international
community for our work and we were urged by the international
community to also open an office in Batticaloa-Amparai. It is a huge
loss to NESOHR and to the people of Batticaloa-Amparai to have our two
members from the region shot dead within a span of one year.

A land where human rights defenders' life can be taken away so cheaply
is a damned land. It is also a damning indictment on those who are
charged with the responsibility of protecting them. We urge the
international human rights community to focus their attention on this
damning situation in Northeast by taking stock of the true basic
causes for this situation.

In the name of human rights, democracy, religious and racial harmony, justice
and fair-play, the IFT appeals to the International Community (IC), to condemn
without delay, the brutal murder of the Tamil Parliamentarian and human rights
activist, Joseph Pararajasingham during the midnight Christmas cathedral
service and to hold Sri Lanka government and President Mahinda Rajapakse
responsible for the heinous crime committed through the State Intelligence
Unit and the paramilitary forces operating in the north-east.

The IFT has, in a number of appeals to the IC pointed out to the impending
danger to the CeaseFire Agreement (CFA) caused by the Intelligence Unit and
the paramilitary forces in the north-east.

These two evil forces were well
developed by the former UNF government of Ranil Wickremasinghe and further
strengthened by Chandrika Kumaratunge. The present contender for the UN
Secretary
General?s post, Jayantha Dhanapala, during his tenure as the Head of the
government peace secretariat, hoodwinked the world by denied their existence,
while nurturing it to maturiy on the sly.

It is now being craftily orchestrated
by Mahinda Rajapakse to fulfil his election pledge, to abrogate the CFA and
eliminate Norway from the facilitating scene. The Intelligence Unit and the
Paramilitary Forces have been identified with the brutal murder of hundreds
of civilians, peace activists like Chandra Nehru, journalists like Nadesan
and Taraki and many others.

Although the government of Sri Lanka has repeatedly denied harbouring and
using paramilitary cadres in the north-east, a blatant violation of the CFA,
a report submitted to Colombo Headquarters on 21.03.2005, by Steen Joergensen,
Head if the International Ceasefire Monitors, Batticaloa and a report by
Brigadier Peiris of Batticaloa Command, to Admiral Daya Sandagiri, the Commander
of the State Armed Forces, confirm the contrary. Two recent escapees from
the paramilitary cadre have confessed, in the presence of international press,
to the paramilitary and Intelligence Unit murders and provocations of violence
and tension between Muslims and Tamils in the east.

Joseph was felled down by his assassins who shot him at the foot of the crib,
immediately after receiving Holy Communion from the hands of the Catholic
Bishop, conducting the service for world Christmas peace. Blood of eight
others was spilled before the altar on Christmas midnight, including that
of Joseph's wife who is still in a critical condition.

Unilateral declaration of cease-fire was observed by the LTTE at Christmas
during its two decades of war. But bombing and desecration of Christian churches
and schools remain bloodied blotches on the annals of Sri Lanka. Notorious
Navaly church aerial bombing in the Jaffna peninsula, the cannon blast at
the pilgrim shrine in Madhu in the Mannar district during the ninety?s and
now the spilling of blood during church Christmas service in the Batticaloa
district, offer a blood-soaked ?triple gem? to the Head of Sri Lanka state
who takes pride in coming to power with the assistance of extremist religious
chauvinists.

Joseph Pararajasingham was a true democrat and an advocate of peaceful
resolution
to the national problem in Sri Lanka. He was one of the founder members of
NESOHR, the North- East secretariat of human rights. He was a pragmatist,
advocating for over a decade, even before the signing of the CFA, a direct
dialogue between the government and the LTTE. As a veteran of the TULF,
he was also instrumental in convincing the party hierarchy that the emancipation
of the Tamils lay in supporting the LTTE at the peace talks. During
parliamentary
elections in the past, there were a number of life-threats on him from
paramilitary
cadres and the state Intelligence Unit. He survived them all, finally to
succumb during a church Christmas service, to an assassin's bullet, which
made mockery of the 'Silent night' and 'Holy night'

In Sri Lanka, 'All is not calm 'and 'All is not bright' now.

Australasian Federation of Tamil Associations on
Brutal Killing of Tamil Parliamentarian, 25 December 2005 also
in PDF

The Australasian Federation of Tamil Associations (AFTA) is outraged by the
wanton murder of Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, Member for Batticaloa in the Sri
Lankan Parliament.

We are shocked that the brutal slaying was carried out inside the church in the
presence of hundreds of people right in the heart of Sri Lankan Army controlled
town of Batticaloa where Mr Pararajasingham was attending mass on Christmas day
at the St. Mary's Co-Cathedral Church .

Mr. Pararajasingham, a member of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) was an
outspoken critic of the human rights violations of successive Sri Lankan regimes
and was held in high esteem by several Humanitarian and Human Rights
Organisations. Throughout the 1990's, he played a crucial role in drawing
attention to the gross human rights violations of the people in the North East.
These included massacres, disappearances and torture. It was primarily due to
his tireless efforts that atrocities in the North East by the Sri Lankan
Government were brought to the attention of the world community.

He was instrumental in exposing the rape of
18 year old School girl
Krishanthi
Kumaraswamy and the murder of her mother, brother and neighbours by the Sri
Lankan army personnel mid 1995. He was similarly very concerned about the rape
and murder of 17 year old Tharshini just a week ago by Sri Lankan naval
personnel.

As a founder member of the North East Secretariat on Human Rights (NESHOR) he
was actively involved in the protection of human rights of the people of the
North East.

In the course of his parliamentary career spanning over 15 years, he had visited
Australia, the US, the UK and Canada where he raised the matter of the gross
violations of Human Rights by the Sri Lankan Government with Governments,
politicians and Human Rights Groups.

He was a vociferous critic of the Sri Lankan armed forces and the paramilitary
groups working in tandem with the army in conducting a shadow war in the East.

During his visit to Australia in May this year, Mr Pararajasingham had expressed
fears for his life at the hands of the paramilitaries acting at the behest of
the Sri Lankan Government. The co chairs to the Sri Lankan peace process,
themselves had called upon the Sri Lankan Government on several occasions to
disarm these groups as per the Cease-Fire Agreement with the Liberation Tigers
of Tamil Eelam. Instead, the Sri Lankan government has persisted with the use of
the paramilitaries to wage a war on the Tamil people in the East.

This murder like that of Tamil academics, journalists and human rights activists
has to be laid at the feet of the Sri Lankan Government.

We call upon the Australian Government to strongly condemn this slaying of a
human rights activist and parliamentarian.

We condemn the brutal murder of Mamanithar Joseph Pararajasingham, TNA Member of
Parliament on December 25, in the most cowardly fashion. He was gunned down by
Thamil para-military hirelings and Military Intelligence inside St. Mary’s
Church, Batticaloa during mid-night mass conducted by the Bishop of
Batticaloa-Trincomalee. The church is situated right inside the well-fortified
HSZ and the government should accept blame squarely for this dastardly killing.

Joseph Pararajasingham was a committed nationalist who was in the forefront of
the national liberation struggle as a parliamentarian since 1990. He articulated
the Thamil cause very effectively both in national and international forums. By
killing him his enemies has sought to silence a powerful voice of the voiceless
people.

Mahinda Rajapakse, since his election as President, has sought to appoint
Sinhala- Buddhist hawks and known chauvinistic megalomaniacs to key positions in
the cabinet and armed forces. His choice of Ratnasiri Wickramanayake as Prime
Minister and Deputy Defence Minister, Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka as Army
Commander and H.M.G.B. Kotakadeniya, ex-DIG and current Treasurer of Jathika
Hela Urumaya as Defence Advisor on police service signals a definite
predisposition towards a militaristic solution to resolve the ethnic conflict.
In recent weeks attacks, assaults, firings and killings of innocent civilians
and Thamil activists by the occupation Sinhala armed forces in Northeast had
escalated many-fold.

To add insult to injury the Defence Ministry is indulging in fanciful
imagination and puerile fabrication by blaming the LTTE for the killing of
Mamanithar Joseph Pararajasingham. If the Defence Ministry thinks that by this
Goebellsian propaganda they can pull the wool over the eyes of the international
community, it will be sadly mistaken. We refuse to believe the international
community is dim-witted and gullible to swallow such propaganda.

Even at this stage, President Mahinda Rajapakse can pull the country from
sliding into war by confining the armed forces in the Northeast inside barracks.
It is patently clear that the Thamil people want the army to quit their land
immediately. Whether Mahinda Rajapakse has the necessary political will and
sagacity to act wisely is doubtful given his penchant for strident Sinhala
chauvinism.

If anything the cowardly killing of Mamanithar Joseph Pararajasingham far from
weakening the forces of Thamil nationalism will only unite and galvanize the
Thamil people in their unstoppable march to freedom.

The leader of the Liberation Tigers, Mr. V. Pirapaharan, on Tuesday, paid
tribute to the slain senior Tamil politician Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham in the
Vanni. The body of the Tamil National Alliance paraliamentarian, who was shot
inside Batticaloa St. Mary's Co-Catherdal during Christmas mass on Sunday, was
taken to LTTE controlled Kokkadicholai on Monday and to Kilinochchi on Tuesday.
The funeral service of the MP is to take place in the church where he was slain
Thursday after receiving Holy Communion from Bishop Kingsley Swampillai.

The body was kept for people to pay tribute at Karadiyanaru in Kokkaddicholai
for 3 hours on Monday. LTTE's Special Commander for Batticaloa, Col. Bhanu,
Batticaloa Commander Nagesh, Commander Piraba, Government officials, religious
leaders and fellow TNA MPs were present at Karadiyanaru. The body was also kept
at Ramakrishnan Mission Vidyalayam for public viewing. Later the body was taken
to Kaluwanchikudy and Arayampathi, and then taken to the MP's house in
Batticaloa.

Batticaloa district observed a general shut down, and black and white flags were
seen in the town.

TNA's Batticaloa district MPs, Mrs. K. Thangeswari and Mr. P.Kanagasabai, joined
the escort of the coffin to Kilinochchi from Batticaloa. Sri Lanka Police,
Special Task Force soldiers and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM)
officials attended the procession.

The procession reached Vavuniya at 2:30 p.m and stopped there for more than an
hour allowing residents of Vavuniya to pay tribute. Sri Lankan Police and
military officials also paid tribute to the slain MP.

Vanni district TNA parliamentarians Selvam Adaikalanathan, Sivasakthi Anandan
and Sivanathan Kishore joined the procession towards Kilinochchi with the SLMM
facilitation.

LTTE's Political Head Mr. S.P.Thamilchelvan and the Financial Head of the LTTE
Mr. Thamilenthi, senior members and commanders of the Tigers joined the LTTE
leader in Vanni to pay tribute to the slain Tamil leader.

"It is the occupying Sri Lankan forces that have unleashed violence on the
Tamil people. Destructive effects of such crimes will boomerang on the
Sinhala armed forces. The Sri Lankan Government is solely responsible for
controlling its armed forces to bring back normalcy," said the Liberation
Tigers' Political Head, Mr.S. P. Thamilchelvan, addressing the mourners who
gathered to pay tribute to the slain TNA MP, Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, at the
Kilinochchi Cultural Hall 27 December 2005, Wedesday morning.

LTTE Political Head and CWC, UPF, WPPF leaders in the
procession

"The Sinhala nation must realize that the Tamils' thirst for
freedom cannot be extinguished by killing Tamil intellectuals and leaders. The
representatives of the Tamil people who have gathered here today will send a
clear message to Colombo," Mr Thamilchelvan added.

The three leaders of the upcountry Tamils, Arumugam Thondaman, Periyasamy
Chandrasekaran, and Mano Ganesan joined several TNA parliamentarians and
delivered eulogies at the event.

"Mr Pararajasingham served as a supreme political leader working resolutely to
confront forces that attempted to destroy Tamil Nationalism. Tamil people across
the world regarded him as an honest leader and his murder has angered and
saddened all of us," Mr. Thamilchelvan said.

Residents of Kilinochchi, Tamil parliamentarians and officials of the Liberation
Tigers assembled at 9:45 a.m. Wednesday at the Kilinochchi Cultural Hall to pay
tribute to Joseph Pararajasingham, senior member of Tamil National
Alliance (TNA) and a leading human rights advocate who was slain during
Christmas mass Saturday.

His body dressed in white silk draped in flowers was kept for viewing during the
ceremony. The event was presided over by Fr Kanagaratnam, head of the North East
Secretariat on Human Rights (NESOHR). Mr Pararajasingham's body was taken to the
Cultural Hall from near the Kilinochchi Central College with military parade of
Liberation Tigers led by a marching band. Mr Pararajasingham's children lit the
flames of sacrifice while Mr. Thamilchelvan garlanded his body.
The prcession towards Kilinochchi cultural centre.

The Indonesia Human Rights Committee has been deeply shocked to learn of the
execution of Mr Joseph Pararajasingham, Member of Parliament for Batticaloa in
Sri Lanka. He was shot in cold blood while he was worshipping at a Catholic
Church on Christmas Eve and while Government security officers were present.
This death has caused great anger and despair in the Tamil community both
locally and internationally.

Earlier this year, as you may know, Mr Pararajasingham toured New Zealand with a
parliamentary colleague, and some members of our committee were privileged to
meet with him. We found him to be a warm and extremely able man with an intimate
knowledge of human rights issues in Sri Lanka and internationally. He was deeply
committed to the task of achieving equal rights and justice for the Tamil
people. He had pursued this goal in the Sri Lankan parliament for many years and
at the time of his brutal death he was doing everything he could to promote the
peace process in Sri Lanka and to advocate for ongoing dialogue and negotiations
between the Sri Lankan Government and the Tamil people.

We believe that in Sri Lanka as in Indonesia there are vested interests who do
not support peace and that there are paramilitary groups who work in close
co-ordination with sections of the Armed Forces of Sri Lanka. While it is not
possible to know who is responsible for the murder of Mr Pararajasingham, it is
deeply disturbing that his death has been followed by further killings. It would
be a tragedy if the situation in Sri Lanka were to deteriorate further and if
the peace agreement were to collapse.

In Sri Lanka as in Aceh the people continue to suffer the tragic after effects
of the 2004 tsunami. It is unthinkable that ordinary people might have to bear
the burden of renewed military conflict.

We appeal to the New Zealand Government to make representations to the
Government of Sri Lanka and to call for an urgent investigation into the death
of Mr Pararajasingham so that those responsible can be brought to account. We
also recommend that the Government initiate a fact finding mission to Sri Lanka
of local and international human rights experts to assess the situation.

There is a widespread view among Tamil people that the international response to
the death of Mr Pararajasingham will determine whether or not peace is
preserved. New Zealand must seize this moment to speak out for justice and peace
and do what it can to help prevent further killings in Sri Lanka,

“The murder of rights advocates in churches and holy sanctuaries is a historical
phenomenon. From El Salvador’s Archbishop Oscar Romero to our own Joseph
Pararajasingam, their lives did not end with death. On the contrary, they become
alive into the collective consciousness of their people for whom they have
struggled," said V. Balakumaran, a senior leader of the Liberation Tigers (LTTE)
talking during his weekly address to LTTE radio "Pulikalin Kural (Tigers Voice)"
Saturday.

Mr. Joseph Pararajasingam, Sri Lankan Tamil legislator and ardent
human rights activist, was gunned down in Sri Lanka during Christmas mass after
he received Holy Communion from the Bishop of Batticaloa. Eight other worshipers
including the slain leader’s wife were also injured. While the world remained
silent, the LTTE posthumously conferred the title of “Maa Manithar” (Great Soul)
recognizing the lifelong service of the 71-year-old parliamentarian.

Translation of excerpts from Balakumaran's radio address given in Tamil follow:

“Mr Pararajasingam has become the latest human being to have sacrificed his life
for the cause of liberation and emancipation of one’s people. Whenever I met
with him, especially recently, I found him content with his duties and totally
at peace with the race he has run. In addition he was aware of the serious
threat to his life.

The history will record him as one who devoted himself to the service of his
people. I only intend to touch some aspects of his life and death through those
who were similarly martyred at the alter of holy sanctuaries.

The late Joseph closed his eyes so that the eyes of those which still remain
shut shall be open to the truth. First let us look at the event in 1985 when our
revered priest Father Bastian was slain. He was the parish priest of St. Anne’s
Catholic church in Vankalai, Mannar. It was the 6th of January, 1985. The Sri
Lankan army (SLA) soldiers broke into the church in the middle of the night. As
Father Bastian came out holding his hands up clutching the rosary beads, the
soldiers gunned him down point blank. We are once again reminded of his death
while we mourn the death of Mr Pararajasingham.

People used to ask Father Bastian whether he was not concerned about his safety
when he was openly involved in protecting the basic rights of the people around
him. He would respond that it was not just his life, but the lives and
livelihoods of all the Tamil people were uncertain and at risk. His words still
resonate among our people and ring true to this date. What sin have our people
committed to be under the rule of the military and lose their lives on a daily
basis?

Another similar event is the murder in El Salvador which occured on March 24,
1980. El Salvodor’ archbishop and human rights activist
Reverend Oscar Romero
was celebrating holy mass in his church when he was shot. He fell down embracing
his death in front of a large congregation. When we mourn Honorable Joseph we
remember Archbishop Romero.

Shortly before his killing Archbishop Romero said, “You can kill me. A bishop
will die, but the church of god, which is the people, will never perish”. He
further proclaimed, “You can tell the people that if they succeed in killing me,
that I forgive and bless those who do it. Hopefully, they will realize they are
wasting their time. The church would betray its own love for God if it stopped
being a defender of the rights of the poor, a humanizer of every legitimate
struggle to achieve a more just society that prepares the way for the true reign
of God in history."

These are the same sentiments expressed by Mr Pararajasingam. His words still
echo in our hearts. The time spent on plotting and killing him is a wasted time.
The killers should realize that they would not achieve anything by killing him.
Reverend Romero repeatedly pleaded, “In the name of God, and in behalf of the
people I implore you. Please halt your oppression. Desist from killing your own
people”.

We ask of Joseph’s killers the same in the name of Archbishop Romero. On behalf
of our People, and in lieu of our liberation struggle, we call upon you again
and again. Please put an end to these killings. We witnessed the brutal murders
of media men Mr Nadesan and Mr Sivaram, and humanitarian Mr Chandra Neru in
southern Tamileelam. What do we achieve by killing the elites and humanists of
our land? This is our plea to you and to the indifferent world at large.

We shall gain comfort and strength from the words of Archbishop Romero. Like the
grain that needs to die to bring new life, the blood spilled by the Tamil people
and MaaManithar Pararajasingam will bring freedom and dignity to the lives of
our people."

Joseph Pararajasingham, MP for Batticaloa, a senior Tamil politician and a peace
activist, was gunned down on Christmas morning 2005 in a Cathedral in the heart
of Batticaloa where he was attending the midnight mass. What was terminated was
not just a most valuable life, but probably also the Peace process.

With a killing-a-day for the past several months in the new killing fields of
Sri Lanka, the Eastern seaboard, what is so special about this particular
killing? The significance is that Mr Pararajasingham was a man of national and
international standing. His murder must have a national and international
dimension. Before these are discussed, I will briefly comment on the man - a
tribute if you like.

The man

Joseph Pararajasingham entered Parliament in 1990 and was re-elected in 1994
with the highest number of preferential votes ever received by a Tamil candidate
in the NorthEast. He was elected again in 2000. He lost his seat in 2002, but
was nominated to Parliament under the ‘National list’. He was a member of the
(Tamil) Federal Party (Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchchi) shortly after its
formation. He was a founder member of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF)
and its Senior Vice President. He was a leading member of the Tamil National
Alliance (TNA), currently the major political party representing the Tamils.

He was a founder-member of the North East Human Rights Secretariat, an executive
member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the Parliamentary
Association of SAARC (South Asian Association of Regional Corporation).

He was one of the few current Tamil politicians who had an excellent command of
English and the ability to use this to present the problems faced by the Tamil
people to the international community.

He was totally committed to the Peace process and absolutely convinced that the
ethnic problems in Sri Lanka could only be settled by negotiations. He had the
complete backing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE – the Tamil
Tigers), which makes nonsense of the sly attempts by the Sri Lankan Government
to attribute his murder to the Tigers.

My impressions

‘Para’, as he was to me, met me and even stayed with me with his charming wife
Sugunam, when they visited Brisbane. I can summarise Para in one sentence “He
was a fine, upright, sincere, and peaceful man”.

We have had many a discussion on the future of Sri Lanka. I, a Sinhalese, was
adamant that negotiations with a racist, brutal and totally unreliable Sri
Lankan Government (of whatever political persuasion) would not get the Tamils
anywhere. Para, a Tamil, was equally adamant that a negotiated settlement was
the only way forward. Although I could see where he was coming from, I totally
disagreed with him and still do – even more so now.

At our last meeting in May 2005 we discussed his possible assassination. I was
obviously concerned about his security (or the lack of it). He was worryingly
realistic: “Brian, they can take me out whenever and where ever they choose to.
A Security guard or many Guards, will make no difference”.

Tragically he was right. ‘They’ not only took him out, but very nearly his wife
too and some eight others including children. He made no secret of who “they”
were - (Tamil) paramilitary operatives recruited by the Sri Lankan Army ‘to do
their dirty work’. The Sri Lankan Army and these Tamil opportunistic traitors
are two sides of the same coin – one in uniform, the other not. Para’s
assassination is the visible evidence of an invisible association between the
two. Despite vehement denials, these Tamil mercenaries are armed, supported,
protected and used by the Sri Lankan Army.

The murder

Two allegedly ‘unidentified’ gunman opened fire in the Cathedral when Para, his
wife and others, were about the receive Holy Communion from Bishop Kingsley
Swarmpillai, Bishop of Batticaloa and Trincomalee. St Mary’s co-Cathedral is in
the middle of Batticaloa town in an area directly under the control of the Armed
Forces. To claim that the Army knew nothing about this is arrant nonsense.

The trail of blood from Pararajasingham leads to the Army, possibly to the Sri
Lankan Government. It is similar to the murder of another vocal Tamil leader,
lawyer Kumar Ponnambalam, assassinated in Colombo some
five years ago, where the trail of blood led to the Presidential Security
Division (notorious gangsters armed by President Chandrika Kumaratunge) and
beyond.

There is, however, a difference between the two murders. While that of
Ponnambalam (2000) was ‘discreet’ – the body with bullet wounds found in a car,
that of Pararajasingham (2005) was brazen - in front of hundreds of people in
the Cathedral and right in front of the Bishop of Batticoloa. The Sri Lankan
Armed Forces have not just killed someone (or had him killed) but sent a
message. “We will kill whom we want, when we want, where we choose. Come watch
us – if you like”. It is the brazenness that comes from an absolute certainty
that no action will be taken by the powers that be. The implications are
obvious.

Why was he killed?

Para was fluent and articulate, he was outspoken and obviously credible. He
could present, to the Sinhala Parliament and to international audiences, the
suffering and problems faced by the Tamil people and the outrageous violation of
human rights that they have had to endure. The Sri Lankan Government and its
Armed Forces simply had no answer other than assassination. The clear message
seems to be “Articulate the suffering of the Tamil people, the outrages that are
occurring, and you will be taken out. The more forthright you are, the sooner
you will go.”

The national and international response

A senior Tamil politician, a member of Parliament with a national and
international standing who is totally committed to the Peace process has been
murdered by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and/or their agents. He had the complete
backing of the Tamil Tigers and was clearly an important conduit between the Sri
Lankan Government and the Tamil Tigers in any peace negotiations. His murder
must put the Peace process in jeopardy. There must be a national and
international response to this outrage.

1. The national response

I do not know what the response, if any, of the Sinhala nation will be. Nor do I
think that the Government-controlled media in Sri Lanka will convey the gravity
of the situation to the Sinhala people.

Where the Tamil people are concerned, there must be some decisive action taken.
The Tamils are losing those who can effectively present their problems-
nationally and internationally. People who could be their future leaders are
being gradually taken out.

The Tamils have some serious decisions that they will have to make.

To decide
that a complete separation from the Sinhala State is the only answer. As a
Sinhalese who has watched with disbelief the discrimination, overt and covert,
of the Tamil people, the destruction of their lives and property by the Sinhala
Government, and the gross violation of their human rights by the Sinhala Armed
Forces under Government direction, I have never been convinced that any solution
short of complete separation of the Sinhala and Tamil nations would be an
answer. The situation has gone well beyond that which can be addressed by a
Federal, or even Con-federal, set-up.

To realize that a separate Tamil state is not something that can be
negotiated with a Sinhala Government that has declared that the country is a
Sinhala-Buddhist nation and has even enshrined this in the Constitution. If this
means a return to war, it is of the Sinahala government’s making. The
international community will have to recognise this.
An alternative to war is to bring the Government to a halt. Tamil Government
servants stopping work might have been effective years ago. Today, it will be
totally ineffective. The degree of “Sinhalisation” (discrimination) that has
occurred in the past two decades is such that it will be an exercise in
futility. Let me cite some figures. The Sri Lankan Administration service has
been the forte of the Tamils. Yet, in the examination in July 1999 to enter the
Administrative services, 151 Sinhalese and just 2 Tamils were summoned for
interview. Of them, not a single Tamil (or Muslim) was selected. In the Sri
Lankan Accountancy examination (another forte of the Tamils) in 1993, 1994, 1996
and 1998 only one single Tamil was selected in each of these years. If Tamil
public servants stop work, they will simply be sacked and replaced by Sinhalese.

The only industry where a stop-work will have an effect is in the tea
plantations. If the Plantation workers (mainly Tamils) stop work, the Sri Lankan
government, already near bankruptcy, will come down to reality overnight. The
recent collaboration between the leaders of the Plantation workers with the
Tamil party and the militants is a step in the right direction. However, there
is the very real possibility of the former being bought over by the Sinhala
government, as has happened so often in the past. Plantation workers who, for
years, have been looked down on by the rest of the Tamil community are unlikely
to bail them out unless there is a good reason for them to do so. It is up to
the Tamil leadership to come up with an offer that will improve the lot of these
seriously neglected people. It might be a better alternative to an all out war
with the Sinhala government.

The pretence of Peace Talks will have to be abandoned. It must be recognised
that the current Sri Lankan Government offer of Peace Talks is a time-buying
exercise to enable the Sri Lankan Army to be “beefed up”. The recent escalation
in the Defence allocation in President Rajapakse’s Budget 2006 can have no other
interpretation. The Defence allocation has gone from Rs 52 billion in 2004, to
Rs 56.6 billion in 2005 and an astronomical increase to Rs 91.6 billion in 2006.

Rajapakse’s budget has been called a “People’s Budget” and a “Pro-poor
Budget”. A more appropriate label is a “pro-war Budget”. Indeed President,
Rajapakse has openly said that his ‘negotiations’ with the Tamil Tigers is only
till he has been able to arm the Sri Lankan Armed Forces.

Tamil parliamentarians will have to reconsider their positions in what is
essentially a Sinhala Parliament, which discusses problems faced only by the
Sinhala people, not the Tamils. For Tamil politicians to continue to sit in
Parliament is meaningless. Refusing to attend Parliament will send a strong
message internationally that Sri Lanka needs a forum where the problems of the
Tamil people are discussed and addressed.

2. The international response

There must be an international recognition of the realities in Sri Lanka. The
Sri Lankan Government might not have won the military battles with the Tamil
Tigers, but has certainly won the propaganda war. This is a reflection of the
failure of the powerful expatriate Tamil lobby. I have no illusions about the
difficulty of getting the ‘international ear’. However, this is crucial if the
Tamils are to achieve anything. Preaching to the converted which many, me
included, do, may be emotionally satisfying but of limited, if any, value. So
also the spate of publications, to which I have contributed in no small way.
Emotionally satisfying but no more.

It is probable that an international action group, preferably of non-Sri
Lankans, and certainly non-Tamils, will have to be set up. Our role would be to
supply this group with the necessary facts (which are readily available), to
legitimize the already established de facto Tamil State. The crucial aid donors
will have to be specifically targeted.

The absurd current financial situation in Sri Lanka will have to be pointed out
to the international community. For the coming year (2006), the estimated
Government revenue is Rs 484 billion, and Government spending Rs 731 billion..
The Budget deficit is estimated at Rs. 197 billion, an increase from Rs.168
billion in 2005. Most of this deficit will be financed from foreign aid and
grants. At least a quarter of the increasing budget deficit is because of an
escalating expenditure on defence i.e to ‘defend’ the country from its own
people. In effect, international donors are assisting the Sri Lankan Government
to destroy it own people.

Following the assassination of Mr Pararajasingham, an impressive number of
Tamil organizations in the USA have called for sanctions against the Sri Lankan
government. Impressive though it is, a follow-up is essential. The Australian
Federation of Tamil Associations has protested to the Australian government. It
is unlikely that a government that accepted as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to
Australia, a Sri Lankan Army General accused of serious human rights abuse of
the Tamil people, will spring to attention because of a letter of protest.

The EU countries will have to be approached. I have recently dealt with the
credibility (or lack of it) of some EU decisions taken against the Tamils.
Copies of this should be sent to every EU member, followed by lobbying.

The Sri Lankan government relies on commercial organizations to do its
anti-Tamil propaganda. I have, for many years, suggested that the Tamils go down
this same path and get professional help in their lobbying efforts. It will be
more effective than shoulder to air missiles, and perhaps less costly.

One of the most serious failings of the powerful expatriate Tamil community
is to formulate an effective action plan to get international support in the
entirely justifiable struggle of the Tamil people of Sri Lanka to free
themselves from a brutal, irresponsible and discriminatory regime in Colombo. If
the murder of Pararajasingham galvanizes the expatriate Tamils into action, he
would not have died in vain.

I write to you as a kinsman of the late Joseph Pararajasingham. Of course, all
his friends and family both in Sri Lanka and abroad are overcome with shock. Now
as part of the grieving process, understandably Mr. President, we all are deeply
hurt and angered by this despicable blood-spilling within the walls of a sacred
space.

Sugunam Joseph, his wife has indeed escaped the near-miss attempt on her life
along with other seven worshippers and as you are aware, is in a critical
condition.

The Tamils in general and the Tamil-speaking people of the east in particular,
have lost a father-figure, leader and a towering human-rights activist, who
engaged in the relentless pursuit of peace with justice. These clandestine
forces that are determined to conceal the truth to the world are currently
employed in this nefarious warfare of dividing communities. They have no sense
of respect for anything including sacred worship. It is no longer a well-kept
secret that the east has increasingly become the killing fields!

The people of the east have been the victims of intimidation and appalling human
rights abuses. Even at the risk of losing their lives, the likes of Joseph owing
to their principles and convictions, are willing to be voices of truth-telling.
Hence, the primary strategy of these mercenary forces is to silence such bold
witnesses. However the irony is, Joseph’s death has become a more eloquent voice
of such appalling human rights abuses.

The Tamils are aware that your government has blamed the LTTE for this murder.
We are more than convinced that it is a false propaganda. The friends and family
are still wondering as to why such strategic slayings repeatedly occur within
the government designated High Security Zones? Eye-witness’ accounts at the
Christmas-eve mass seem to suggest that Joseph’s bodyguards who are given by the
state were totally inactive while this operation was underway. It goes without
saying, that your government will have to take responsibility for the
assassination of a senior Tamil politician.

We appeal to your Excellency, that you would order an independent public inquiry
to be conducted immediately – perhaps with UN supervision. Before these
insidious forces cover their tracks and disappear.Justice must not only be done,
it must appear to be done. Yet again,justice cannot be denied to the Tamils.

With deep sorrow and pain we appeal to you Sir for such prompt action to precede
any pragmatic peace-talking.

Global Peace and Justice Auckland supporters were deeply shocked and saddened to
learn of the assassination of Sri Lankan MP and human rights activist Joseph
Pararajasingham as he attended a Catholic Church service in Sri Lanka on
December 27th. Mr Pararajasingham was at the altar when the attack occurred.

Mr Pararajasingham visited New Zealand in May 2005 along with his fellow MP Mr
Selvaraja Gajendran and met with GPJA supporters and human rights activists. The
attached photo was taken after one of the meetings. (Mr Pararajasingham is the
gentleman in the back with the yellow shirt and tie)

Mr Pararajasingham was a Member of Parliament for Batticaloa in Sri Lanka for
several years. His constituency is part of the Tamil community which has been
involved in a long struggle for autonomy in Sri Lanka.

The assassination took place despite Mr Pararajasingham being under the military
protection of the Sri Lankan government and was conducted by a paramilitary
group – groups that have often been directly associated with the Sri Lankan
government. Such groups have been used frequently to conduct a low-level
campaign of violence and intimidation against Tamil community leaders and
activists.

The grave danger following this assassination is that there will be a return to
armed conflict in the struggle for Tamil independence. There is a peace process
in place but it is in a fragile state.

GPJA joins with the Tamil community in condemning the assassination and is
calling on the New Zealand government to do likewise. We want the government to
communicate directly with the Sri Lankan government – urging it to condemn the
killing and vigorously pursue those responsible.

This is yet another conflict where the people of New Zealand can have an
international impact beyond its size. We look forward to swift government action
to contribute to justice and peace in Sri Lanka.

Until now no one has been charged for the murder of Maamanithar Joseph
Pararajasingam although his assassins are well known. The killers are freely
roaming the streets with impunity only to perpetrate more atrocities against
innocent civilians. Despite the fact that the names of the suspects were given
to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and he is fully aware of the
identities of the assassins, they have not been brought to justice.

The situation as it prevailed at the time of the assassination and now is no
different except we now have Alan Rock, Adviser to the UN’s Special
Representative for Children and Armed Conflict adding his voice to what every
one knew as ground reality: Speaking to CBC’s ‘Current’ program about his
fact-finding mission to Sri Lanka and his assertion of clear and compelling
evidence of (Sri Lankan) government complicity in the abduction of children by
the Karuna Faction he said “I found the atmosphere in the country to be
extremely negative.” Sri Lankan police were “unreliable”, the army “unresponsive
particularly to Tamil needs and complaints”, the courts “politicized”, the Human
Rights Commission devoid of “resources”, “no one, no institutional body which
will respond to human rights violations or protect the people. In that
environment you have assassinations, abductions and bombings with no
investigation. In places like Batticaloa there were young men walking down the
street with AK47s with absolute impunity, who would shoot whoever they wanted
to, with no follow up, no consequences, an environment which is terrifying.”

Our thoughts and prayers on this Christmas Day are with his grieving wife and
family and with all the other families and dear ones of victims of Sri Lankan
State terrorism.

Mr Joseph Pararajasingam, a Tamil nationalist and TNA member
of parliament, who worked tirelessly to promote and protect
human rights, was shot dead on Christmas Eve while he was
attending Christmas mass at St. Mary’s church situated
inside a high security zone of Batticaloa town. He was
murdered by the Sri Lankan military intelligence wing and
the paramilitaries working with them, including the Karuna
Group and EPDP. Mr Pararajasingam’s wife, Mrs Sugunam, and
six others were injured in the shooting.

Mr Pararajasingam prayed for peace and freedom for his
people and had just received communion from the Bishop when
the Sri Lankan intelligence unit and the paramilitaries shot
him and escaped.

Mr Pararajasingam raised his voice for the human rights of
the Tamil people at the international stage and at
diplomatic forums. He maintained solid relationships with
human rights organizations and worked hard for the formation
and growth of the Northeast Secretariat on Human Rights (NESOHR).
It is this towering humanitarian who was shot dead by the
Sri Lankan military intelligence wing.

This well-planned murder proves that the long hand of the
chauvinistic forces such as the Jathika Hela Urumaya is
working through the Sri Lankan military intelligence wing.

The chauvinistic forces have taken away
this patriot who has worked for the Tamil nation’s
liberation and promotion of human rights.

We strongly condemn this appalling, vicious murder. We
extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and
relatives.